from mars, with love (vogel)
by techluver
Summary: AU - Letters between vogel and his wife. Connects with from mars, with love (martinez)
1. Chapter 1

From: Alex

To: Helena

Subject: I miss you all

I arrived. Texas is my new home for 2 years. After 13 hours in flight, I'm ready to arrive. I'm sleeping here with the other people that will go with me. I arrived a day late, so they all had a day of rest before the introductions.

How are you? How are die Affen? I think of you every day. I hope Viktor and Eliza don't give you too much trouble. Tell them I love them. Write back.

Alex

From: Helena

to: Alex

Subject: We miss you too

Hello my love,

I can't believe that it'll be many years before I see you again. I'm happy that you arrived, and I want to hear about all your adventures.

Everything's well at home, die affen are good to me. I'm not having any problems.

What do you think of the new crew? What have you learned about them? I want to know all.

My students at school are also very interested. They are very proud that their teacher's husband is in NASA. They ask me what you do there, but I have no idea.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Always yours,

Helena

From: Alex

To: Helena

Subject: the crew

The crew is very interesting. There are 6 of us.

The first one is our commander. She is Melissa Lewis. She loves Disco music. She's very nice, but she thinks she's our mother. But with the other 2 crew members we have with us, I think that is very, very necessary.

The 2 of which I speak are Mark Watney und Rick Martinez. They are very very funny. They say things I don't get, but the others laugh a lot. I think they'll end up being our crew jokesters.

There's our doctor, Chris Beck. I hear that he is very good. I hope we will become good friends. He'll make sure we don't die.

The last person is our sysop, Beth Johanssen. She's young and smart. No way she's even 30 yet.

I'm glad things are going great at home. I miss you, and your Bratwurst.

Love,

Alex

From: Helena

to: Alex

subject: My students

Meine Studenten interessieren sich sehr. Sie wollen hören aber was du machst da.

I hope you and the crew are enjoying things there. I know it's not easy, but if anyone can do it, it's you. I think of you every day.

Love,

Helena

From: Alex

To: Helena

Subject: my day

Today was my first day of training. Commander Lewis woke us up at 4:30. We ate a quick meal, then it was off to our studies. We need to learn a lot about Mars, as well as space travel in Hermes, our spaceship. Then we ran 15 KM. It was a very difficult day.

I'm glad your students are so interested For dinner, we're all going to a Mexican restaurant. I do not know what they serve there, but I will tell you all tomorrow.

With love,

Alex

From: Helena

To: Alex

Subject: boring food

Hello my love

How goes it? I'm at home, and I'm eating the sausage that you are thinking about. Everytime I make it, I think of you. Viktor has a new girlfriend. He's one year older than him.

Sie liebt Wissenschaft. Wenn Viktor erzählt ihr dass du bei NASA bist, sie war sehr interessiert.

I have to go. You have to train, and I have to put the kids to bed.

With love,

Helena

From: Alex

To: Helena

Subject: My god. they're dead

I don't know if what happened last night was funny or not. Let's put it this way: I have a long, long 2 years with Mark and Rick.

Let's start from the beginning. I was in bed, thinking of you, wishing that you were here with me. I heard someone in my room. I thought it was a dream.

The next day, our alarm clock, which usually plays Prinzen, played this strange american music. I did not know what it was. I thought it was someone else's alarm clock. but no, it was my alarm clock.

At midnight, someone changed the song. the wakeup song for all 6 of us. We don't know who it was, but we all think it was Mark and Rick.

The mexican food yesterday was very very good. I tried something called tortillas, they taste like bread, but thinner.

Gotta go. Gotta start the day. Later!

Love,

Alex

After writing the e-mail, Alex stole over to the commander. From day one of seeing her work, he had developed a huge crush on her. It would be years before he'd see Helena again. He knew that he couldn't go so long without a little diversion. What would be the harm? As long as they waited until noone knew about it, noone else need know. He just watched her, watched her work in silence, from the edge of the doorway.


	2. Chapter 2

From: Alex

To: Helena

Subject: Wow.

So... we found out today that my crewmate Martinez just had a baby! This is really awesome. I'm really happy for him and I hope this all goes well.

Also, Viktor has a new girlfriend? What's she like? Is she a good student? Will she make him a good wife someday? Don't forget, these are all questions we need to think about.

So tonight we had our first crew party, to celebrate David's birth. Martinez's wife apparently wanted to call him Gustavo, but that name was rejected-for good reason! Texas beer just isn't that great. I miss German beer. They do have amazing meat though here in Houston. They really know how to BBQ. I love this food.

Well I guess I better enjoy whatever beer I can have before we leave. Apparently there is no alcohol allowed on the spaceship or on mars, because NASA is afraid that it will cause a fire. Fire is one of the worst things that can happen in space, because there's nowhere for us to go and no way for us to get home if that happens.

I hope all is well with you my love. I cannot wait to hear your voice, or at least a letter. Tell the children that I'm doing fine, and I miss all of you very much.

Love,

Alex

From: Helena

To: Alex

subject: Viktor's girlfriend

Viktor's girlfriend is great. We obviously don't know her very well yet, because she has only been his girlfriend for a few weeks, and so marriage is definitely out of the question. But we can tell that she'd be a good wife for him soon.

I went to visit your mother today. She's doing great. She's still really healthy, even though she is getting older. She has been starting to forget things though. I am not sure if this is a cause for concern, but the doctors do not think so. They think that she will be OK.

People have been very very nice to our family since you left. Everyone at my school has pitched in to help out. I don't know what I would do without them, but that just makes me miss you even more. Your training day sounds horrible. Please be safe, we love you.

Love,

Helena

Later that day, Alex began to consider his situation. He wouldn't be able to see Helena for another few months, at the very least. Martinez's wife just had a baby. Alex felt a certain emptiness, a certain loneliness in his life that he could not explain.

The next day was Saturday, so the astronauts hadd a nice day off. They decided to all go off in different directions, because they had been together for so long they were beginning to get a little sick of each other.

Vogel decided to take a quick drive to Fredericksburg. Or that's what he thought. But he really didn't feel like going alone.

"Hey, commander!" he called. "What are you doing today?"

"Oh not much," she replied. "probably just going to go for a run."

"Haven't we been doing that all week? Why don't we relax? and take the time to explore the area? I'm planning a quick drive to Fredericksburg. Want to join me?"

"Sure!" she replied.

They got into an old ford that was hanging around on the NASA lot, discarded but open for use by employees who wanted to go long distances who didn't have a car of their own.

"How far is it?" asked Lewis.

"It can't be that far." Alex responded.

4 hours later, they arrived (after a bunch of disco music). It was a quaint little town, filled with little shops and other fun things to do.

"wilkommen!" said the sign outside the gates.

"It's quite a nice, quaint German town," said Melissa. "Let's go explore!"

It turned out not to look like any German town Alex had ever seen in all of Germany. It was filled with little shops and restaurants, very typically texan in appearance. It was clear that Alex was the only real german for miles around.

At that point, Melissa began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" asked Alex.

"I'm just picturing this town, and how it tries to be German, but you're the only person actually from Germany for miles around!" she replied. "You couldd teach them something about how they should run their own town!" she added teasingly.

Alex laughed. He had never felt so free and easy talking to a woman like that, except for Helena of course. He was usually quiet, but with Melissa he felt that there was a connection forming.

After a few hours, they began tiring of the sights. They had each bought a few things to send their family back home, and they figured it was probably time to go back to JSC anyway.

When they arrived back, Beck and Johanssen were smiling, and asked in unison:

"How was it?"


	3. Chapter 3

To: Helena From: Alex Subject: gefahrlich... sehr, sehr gefahrlich

Those scheisse at NASA! For the past 3 miserable days, we had to sit in a vehicle the size of a car. We were ready to kill each other!  
Luckily, I brought a deck of cards, so I taught them all to play Scopa, the way your ouma did. It was a lot of fun. We played a lot of hands.  
Melissa is amazing. There is nothing that woman cannot do. She was able to hold us all together, including our 2 resident jokesters.  
How are die affen? Are they giving you any trouble? I hope to hear from you soon.  
Love,  
Alex

Alex spent an uneasy night, the night after missed orbit training. He couldn't help noticing that Melissa had moved intentionally to sit next to him in the MAV simulator. He loved Helena, sure, but did he begin to have stronger feelings for Melissa?"Helena is only a simple hausfrau... eine junge, schlechte hausfrau," he thought to himself. The commander, on the other hand, was a woman of experience. She had a navy career, was commander of a mission to Mars... He had always prefered capable women. He married Helena for the money in her family, but after her parents died they got nothing.  
He had to acknowledge, that deep down he really didn't love her. Although related to the former duke of prussia, she wasn't beautiful, or sexy, or accomplished, or anything else the commander was.

"Viktor!" shouted Helena, as she ran through the house.  
Where was that boy? And what was he doing? Ever since his father left to blast into space, he'd become a real terror. It was impossible to keep up to him. She did not know why she tried.  
That new girlfriend... what was her name again? turned out to be a total bitch. Yet he loved her anyway. Why, oh why did he have to find someone like that to fill that roll? Out of all the girls in germany-no, in the european union-no, in the whole world!  
Helena was at her whit's end as she was searching the house for Viktor. She got another phone call, telling her that he had dojne something or other, and not done his homework as usual. It was all this girl's fault. She was going to get him into so much trouble that he'd never get out of it again.  
As she rounded the corner, Helena stopped... as she heard a "bump, bump, bump" above her head.  
"Mein got...!" she thought as she climbed the stairs up to the attic. "What the..." It did not take long for her to figure out... what.  
She looked through a hole in the attic door. And what she saw, she would never believe. For, as her husband would say...  
houston, we have a problem!  
Viktor and liza were on the air bed that they had stored up there. Viktor's girlfriend was standing by, watching. Although the bed was not deflated, as it had been when she had packed it away after their last trip to byrn. Oh no...  
It was inflated! And it was moving up and down, up and down, in rhythm. And there was a sound... a sound was coming plainly through the thin attic door.  
Then, without warning, the girlfriend dropped on top of them, and they were rolling around, all together, in a frenzy of arms, legs, and breasts.

to: Alex from: helena Subject: ...  
Fuck! 


	4. Chapter 4

the party

"one week! One week until launch!" thought Martinez as he got up. And today was an exciting day. NASA was throwing an all expenses paid party for the crew and their family and friends so they could all get to know each other and say good bye to their families. The training was over. Now it was time for a day of fun!

At 7 A.M. the guests began to arrive. First came the Vogels: helena, liza, and viktor, fresh off their plain from Germany. They were looking tired, but ready for a good time as they entered the building. Next came the Johanssens (Mr. and Mrs. Johanssen, Beth's parents), Amy Beck, Martinezes (Marissa, david, and Gloria), Mr. and MRS. Watney, and Robert, who had been elected to be the DJ (mostly by Lewis, with a little help from Mark and Rick). Also present were Venkat Kapoor, Mitch Henderson, and Annie Montros as the photographer.  
After all the introductions had been made, the families started grouping together to reunite.

Alex went to talk to Helena in private, while allowing the children to go mingle with the others.  
"Warrum hast du mich "fuck" geschrieben, in dein e-mail? (Why did you write "fuck" in your last e-mail?)" Alex asked, in a concerned voice.  
"Es war nichts, (It was nothing)" replied Helena in a soothing voice.  
"OK, mein lieb, aber du weisst dass du mit mir sprechen kanst. uber alles. (OK my love, but you know you can talk to me. about anything.)"

Rick was really excited to meet his new son. He first hugged his wife, embracing and kissing in front of the whole crew. Then, he lifted his baby into his arms for the first time. There was an instant camera flash as Annie got this moment recorded for eternity, to be used in the next NASA press footage.

All of a sudden, the song "dancing queen" began to play through the big, booming speakers provided by nasa. And all the couples began to dance. They all knew that it would be the last time they would be able to have such fun with their partners for a long time. Lewis set it to auto DJ from his collection, and grabbed Melissa to do the disco, as they had done so many times.  
When "I will survive" came on, the whole party cheered! But all of a sudden, the music cut.  
The whole crowd grew silent.  
And then henrique iglecia began to play. Over at the DJ booth were the crew's resident jokesters. They had taken over the DJ booth. At the end of the song, mark shouted: "disco... is a disc no!"  
The party ran through the night. The astronauts and their families were enjoying the last time they would have together for years to come.  
But all good things must come to an end. Eventually, it was the time to begin the astronauts' week of isolation before the launch. With fond farewells, they hugged and kissed their families, and their families left nasa to begin their long trips home. 


End file.
